Beit Guvrin National Park
| Beit Guvrin-Maresha National Park | |
|---|---|
Bell cave at Beit Guvrin National Park
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| Location | Southern District, Israel |
| Nearest city | Kiryat Gat |
| Coordinates | 31°35′49.06″N 34°54′2.33″E / 31.5969611°N 34.9006472°ECoordinates: 31°35′49.06″N 34°54′2.33″E / 31.5969611°N 34.9006472°E |
| Official name | Caves of Maresha and Bet-Guvrin in the Judean Lowlands as a Microcosm of the Land of the Caves |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | v |
| Designated | 2014 (38th session) |
| Reference no. | 1370 |
| State Party | Israel |
| Region | Middle East |
Beit Guvrin-Maresha National Park is a national park in central Israel, 13 kilometers from Kiryat Gat, encompassing the ruins of Maresha, one of the important towns of Judah during the time of the First Temple, and Beit Guvrin, an important town in the Roman era, when it was known as Eleutheropolis.
Archaeological artifacts unearthed at the site include a large Jewish cemetery, a Roman-Byzantine amphitheater, a Byzantine church, public baths, mosaics and burial caves.
The earliest written record of Maresha was as a city in ancient Judah (Joshua 15:44). The Hebrew Bible mentions among other episodes that Rehoboam fortified it against Egyptian attack. After the destruction of the Kingdom of Judah the city of Maresha became part of the Edomite kingdom. In the late Persian period a Sidonian community settled in Maresha, and the city is mentioned in the Zenon Papyri (259 BC). During the Maccabean Revolt, Maresha was a base for attacks against Judea and suffered retaliation from the Maccabees. After Hasmonean king, John Hyrcanus I captured and destroyed Maresha in 112 BCE, the region of Idumea remained under Hasmonean control. In 40 BC the Parthians devastated completely the "strong city", after which it was never rebuilt.
Beth Gabra or Beit Guvrin succeeded Maresha as the main town of the area. Conquered by the Roman general Vespasian during the Jewish War (68 CE) and again suffering due to the Bar Kochba revolt (132–135 CE), it was re-established as a Roman colony and in the year 200 it received the title of a city and the ius italicum, under the new name of "Eleutheropolis", 'city of freemen'. Sources from the Byzantine Period mention both Christian and Jewish personalities living in the city.
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